A truly creamy dairy-free low carb frosting made with avocado. You won’t believe how rich and chocolatey this healthy buttercream recipe is. This post is sponsored by California Avocados.
I have come to the conclusion that avocados are magic. Or maybe they are magicians, masters of disguise. They are a fruit but they aren’t sweet so they taste more like a vegetable. They are delicious in savoury dishes, particularly when paired with spices, lime, and garlic (mmmm, guacamole!). But they are also remarkably good in sweet recipes as well. They can be forward and in your face, being all “hey look at me, I am a delicious avocado”! Or they can be completely hidden, just hanging out in the recipe, boosting the nutrition without drawing attention to themselves. And with all those healthy fats, they can play the role of butter or other oils without skipping a beat. Avocados are, in short, astonishing.
And, as luck would have it, California Avocados are coming back into season. This makes me incredibly happy, because they are the creamiest and dreamiest of all avocados. Maybe it’s because they don’t have to travel so far from home to end up on your dinner table. Maybe it’s because of all that California sunshine. I honestly don’t quite know but I find them to be the most consistently good. And while a lot of my avocados just get eaten with a little salt and a spoon, I love finding fun and interesting ways to use them.
Now you know I love my dairy and I am not afraid to use copious amounts of butter and cream, I know that not everyone has that luxury. And while I also enjoy coconut oil, it does lend a strong coconut taste to frostings and puddings and the like. So I decided to play with my avocados and see if I could make a rich, dairy-free buttercream frosting.
I wanted it to be really rich and creamy, and really chocolate-y. So I pureed my avocado with sweetener and cocoa powder but I also added some melted chocolate. Avocado puree can be very thick, so I added a few tablespoons of water to thin things out before adding the chocolate. And what did I end up with? Exactly what I wanted…a rich, creamy chocolate frosting with no butter or coconut oil. Perfect for topping some dairy-free chocolate cupcakes or brownies. And to be honest, it’s really good on its own too…just you and a spoon.
Here’s another way to make dairy-free buttercream. Check out this vegan frosting and simply use powdered sweetener instead of sugar.
Dairy-Free Chocolate Avocado Buttercream
Ingredients
- 2 ounces sugar-free dark chocolate chopped
- 2 ripe California Avocados
- ¾ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 tablespoon water
Instructions
- In a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring until smooth. Set aside.
- In a food processor, combine the avocados, sweetener, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract. Process on high until combined. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all avocado chunks are blended and the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Drizzle with the melted chocolate and process again until smooth.
- Pipe or spread onto your favourite low carb cake, cupcakes, or brownies. Or just eat with a spoon!
Notes
Total fat: 9.22g
Calories from fat: 83kcal
Cholesterol: --
Carbohydrate: 3.89g
Total dietary fiber: 3.08g
Protein: 0.68g
Erythritol: 15g
Many thanks to California Avocados for partnering with me to bring you this delicious recipe.
Lisa C Duggin says
This looks so yummy, I have used avocado in chocolate pudding in the past so I will jump right on this! Carolyn, you are a very sweet lady to share all of your knowledge with us (even your math)! You gave a very nice response to the question of carbs. 🙂 Blessings, Lisa
Wenda Millard says
The Mexican ice cream recipe link is the buttercream recipe..
I do love your recipes!
Carolyn says
Sorry about that… https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/low-carb-mexican-chocolate-avocado-ice-cream/
Rhonda Burcham says
I used this for my grandson’s birthday cake and it was not only delicious but set up nicely so I could do a few decorations. I’m not keto- just plant based. My grandson can’t have sugar, wheat, or dairy. I’m making it again right now just for a regular chocolate cake. Thank you for the time you took to do this
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it!
Molly Graham says
I love Lily’s chocolate, but unfortunately, inulin and my digestive system don’t get along. I’m thankful I discovered ChocZero through your posts. Instead of inulin, it contains soluble corn fiber, which doesn’t cause any issues for me at all. This frosting is so good when spread on a rice cake slathered in peanut butter. It’s also great as a “dip” for pecans. Rolling the chocolate pecans in shredded coconut is a quick way to get a German chocolate cake fix with no effort or clean up!
Nanci says
Hmmm…. I’m thinking these may be good just dolloped out on a piece of parchment, frozen, then stored in a container for a quick ‘I need a sweet’ treat. About the size of a Hershey kiss. Hoping they will freeze well!
Carolyn says
Sure, should be great!
Liz Websdale says
Thankyou so much for this. About to make a cake for a high scgoll graduation and needed a frosting that was dairy free and keto. This will be perfect. I love avocados in desserts including ice creams and chocolate mousse. Never thought to used that creamy butteriness in a frosting.
Julie says
Hi. I’m currently in the middle east and only have access to hass avocados… am aware that avocados can vary in size across the world. Just wondering roughly how many grams of avocado you used? TIA JUKIE
Carolyn says
Ooooh, that’s a very good question. I didn’t weigh them at the time but I just grabbed a California Avocado out of my fridge and weighed it. 252g (with the skin on and the seed still in). So 2 times that.
Alisha says
Sooooo Gosh Darn Gooood!!! Thank you!
georgie @ georgieeats says
This is such a good idea!! I need this in my tummy RIGHT NOW!! Haha!! I will be making this next week – just watch this space… thanks for the recipe 🙂 x
Amanda says
This is my first attempt at anything chocolate and avocado, and it’s awesome! Thanks so much for a great dairy free icing recipe! I’ll be making your Cannoli tart later for my anniversary and I’m going to use this icing to pipe rosettes on top. ☺
Sarah Hluchy says
Going to be starting a paleo-ish diet soon (so I’m doing all my “acceptable treat” research now, before I start going through sugar withdrawal and all these goodies remind me too much of their more sinful counterparts!) I’m not fond of the idea of using erythritol, so I’d like to know what function does the Swerve sweetener serve? Just as a sweetener or does it do something for texture too? What do you think about using maple syrup or stevia instead?
Carolyn says
Use whatever you like. I don’t follow a paleo diet, I have to be low carb for diabetes.
Suzanne says
This looks great! Does it keep long?
Carolyn says
For a few days.
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! I have tried avocado chocolate pudding and that was great. I can’t wait to try this!
cherrytomatopie says
This is excellent! I’m doing my best to get off dairy and this is a wonderful sub (especially since I can’t do coconut either). Very thick and rich and chocolately. Will definitely make again!
Christine says
Can’t wait to try this! I’m allergic to both dairy and coconut and thankful to finally have a way to make frosting without either of them! Thanks!
Denise says
We only get hass avocado’s here. Does it matter? This looks good but not sure if I’m game to try. Have tried avocado mousse and ice cream in the past and thought they were disgusting yet I love avocados in salad etc.
Gracie says
Thanks for sharing this! I would love to try this recipe soon especially now that avocados are in season. I just have a question about the Swerve Sweetener. I don’t think we have it here in the Philippines so would it be okay to substitute that with confectioner’s sugar? I know it would make it less healthy but if I won’t be able to find Swerve, would it be possible to use that instead?
Carolyn says
Yes, that should work. You may need more of it.